Commander of the Grey
by equinexus
Summary: Seeking the last piece to a riddle, the Warden Commander Elias Surana must find an elven woman named Frieda, who has been kidnapped by the smugglers of Amaranthine.
1. Welcome To Amaranthine

Cottages and small hovels skirted the broad city of _Amaranthine_. Their chimneys spewed smoke as the villagers inside lit their fires to keep warm from the approaching bitter cold Ferelden evening. Captain Aidan and his guards lined _Amaranthine_'s gates, keeping an eye out for smugglers that were now abundant within the city's walls. Alert, Captain Aidan squinted at the oncoming party of four, trying to make out the heavily armed pack from the distance.

He could see a human archer, with a hardened expression and stiff, serious walk. Clad in fine leather gear, the archer frowned as he gazed towards the female knight at his side. She was armored in a heavy red cuirass, and wielded a shield that had the Grey Warden herald painted upon it. Just to her left was a mage, whom strangely resembled a young man that he had seen on Wanted posters just recently. Draped in blue and gold robes, the mage held some sort of orange feline within his arms, petting at the creature as they approached.

The leader of the pack was completely hidden beneath his black and crimson body armor, his eyes illuminating from the small slit of his winged helm. Glowing in what seemed like a mystical orb, Captain Aidan could see that the leader was an experienced Battlemage. This alarmed him, as he did not want any trouble within the city's gates under his watch. He gathered two of his men, ordering them to approached the three before they could pass through the gate.

"Halt!" ordered one of Aidan's guards, blocking the group's path as they came to a stop before them. In return, the leader lifted the helm from his head, revealing himself to the guards. They were stunned, spotting the elven man beneath for the first time. With a soft, almost sweet face, the leader smiled, his pointy ears perking up from beneath his platinum blonde hair.

"A _knife-ear_!" exclaimed one of the guards, immediately bringing a response from the group's stern archer.

"You'd best watch your tongue, fool," growled the archer in a rather gruff voice, his tone full of violence.

"Oh?" laughed the guard. "An important _knife-ear_, then?"

"You are speaking to the Commander of The Grey. Show respect," answered the female knight.

"The Hero of _Ferelden_? A _knife-ear_?" snorted the other guard skeptically.

The archer's hand shot towards his sheathe, readying to attack the guard when the leader laid a hand on his breastplate, stopping him.

"Halt, Nathaniel," said the elf in a soothing tone. "This is not the first time the ignorance of a human will be witnessed, nor will it be the last."

Nathaniel, the archer, gradually moved the hand away from his belt, glaring at the guards so fiercely that they swallowed.

The elf's attention returned to the guards, his strangely lit turquoise eyes blazing through the darkness of the night.

"Hail. I am Elias Surana, Grey Warden and Commander of The Grey," introduced the elf. "These are my companions; Nathaniel Howe, Mhairi, and Anders. We have business in _Amaranthine_."

"We weren't told of any visits from the Grey Wardens. Now best begone, knife-ear. We have too many of your kind around here as it is."

"Can I kill them now?" asked Nathaniel, bringing a weary sigh from Elias.

"May we speak to your captain?" the elf asked.

"The captain? What for?" rebutted the guard, folding his arms.

"We have an important message for him. It's regarding the darkspawn horde heading in this direction."

"Darkspawn horde? You lie, _knife-ear_!" shouted the guard.

"Perhaps, but your captain would certainly be angry if he awoke to a darkspawn dagger in his chest," said Elias, raising an eyebrow.

"I know I would be," chuckled Anders, petting the orange feline that was curled in his arms.

"Fine, fine! We'll go get the captain," said one guard.

"Bloody knife-ears," said the other as they turned, wandering back into the fort to retrieve Captain Aidan.

"I must say, Commander," began Mhairi, "I envy your patience."

"Is it truly wise to allow such abuse?" asked Nathaniel. "It will never end unless you put a stop to it."

"By killing every human to insult me? If I did that, you would be long since dead, Nathaniel," laughed Elias, bringing a breathy laugh from the gruff archer.

"Must you always bring up the past? I was a fool, then. I saw you merely as my father's murderer. But now, my father's treachery has been revealed to me, and I can see you just as you are; my friend," admitted Nathaniel almost sheepishly, lowering his eyes away from the elf's.

"As you are mine, Nathaniel," grinned Elias.

"Isn't this just precious, Ser Pounce-A-Lot?" commented Anders cheerfully, lifting his kitten to his cheek to nuzzle it.

"Shut up, Anders," both Elias and Nathaniel frowned, sending charged glares at the smiling mage.

Mhairi only sighed, becoming attentive as she spotted the captain approaching with the two rude guards at his sides. "Stand ready, boys."

"Hail, friends," said Captain Aidan as he approached. "My, my, you are the Hero of _Ferelden_! You must forgive the actions of my guards, Commander. They are not well-versed with those of importance. They will be strictly reprimanded."

The two guards had bewildered expressions upon their faces, gulping in apprehension.

"Good," remarked Nathaniel under his breath.

"That won't be necessary, captain. May they learn from this experience that "_knife-ears_" deserve respect as all do," replied Elias, bowing his head at Aidan and the guards respectfully.

"_Knife-ears_!? Off with you two, before I do not abide with the Commander's wish!" shouted Captain Aidan, obviously heated when realizing the full actions of his guards. "Once again, I am truly sorry. Let's attend to the matter at hand, shall we? What is this I hear about a darkspawn horde?"

"Diminished, actually," Elias began to speak quickly, not wanting to be caught in his lie. "For now, they have been scattered into straggling groups among these parts. It is my wish to enter _Amaranthine_ for another purpose that I cannot immediately reveal. You must understand."

"Secret business, I see? As you wish, Commander. Be wary, though. There have been reports of smugglers in _Amaranthine_."

"We appreciate your warning, captain," replied Elias, and with a gesture of his hand, he began to move towards the gates as he replaced his winged helm back onto his head. His party followed obediently, trailing him into the giant city silently.

Inside of _Amaranthine_ were stone buildings of all shapes and sizes; their brick roofs intact and perfected in architecture. Though it was night, they all wandered into the city curiously, surveying the stone roads and empty streets.

"Whom was it we were looking for, Commander?" asked Mhairi as they moved further into the city.

"The scroll said to seek out Frieda. It is assumed that she will provide the next clue," said Elias as he gazed about.

"Frieda? Did you say… Frieda?" asked a child's voice, and their attention was drawn to a small, elven boy. Startled, he ducked behind a wooden barrel before peering out at them once more.

"Do you know Frieda, elf?" questioned Mhairi in her stoic tone.

"No, I… perhaps I should have stayed quiet," shuddered the small boy, ducking behind the barrel in fear once more.

Elias sent an unspoken order to Mhairi through his eyes, requesting for her to remain silent. Removing his helm, he tucked it under his arm as he approached the barrel, lowering onto one knee. "I'm Elias. What's your name?"

Hesitantly, the boy peeked out, eyeing Elias's pointy ears, instantly warming up to him as he smiled a kind smile. "It's Pick, ser."

"I knew a Pick. He was a messenger for the King's army at _Ostagar_."

"For the King? Really?" asked Pick in an excited tone, bringing a nod from Elias.

"He passed on important messages among the camp. Without him, the King's orders to his men would have never been heard. Is there a message you wish to pass onto me, Pick? About Frieda?"

"Well," Pick began shakily. "They took her. Away."

"Someone took her?" asked Elias, tilting his head. "Who?"

"The bad men. I watched as they did, behind this barrel. There," explained Pick, pointing to a trap door just on the other side of the booth he hid in. "They took her there."

The Commander glanced over at his companions, who gave him concerned looks in return.

"Thank you, Pick. You did a good thing by helping us. I have something for you," began Elias, pulling a tiny gem from a small sack tied to his waist. He dropped the gem into Pick's hand. "This is a ruby. Do what you will with it, though I imagine it will fetch a high price if you bargained well."

"Wow, a ruby! Thank you, ser! Thank you so much!" cried Pick in gratitude, instantly taking off in a fast sprint away, disappearing down a stone road of_ Amaranthine_.

Elias slowly rose to his feet with a disturbed look about his face.

"It seems we are not the only ones looking for this Frieda," said Anders, slipping Ser Pounce-A-Lot into the cloth sack about his shoulders.

"Should we not dally here, then?" suggested Nathaniel, his fierce expression on the trap door.

"At your order, Commander," saluted Mhairi, watching Elias as he slipped his winged helm over his head, securing it tight.

"We enter the caverns. Frieda cannot be smuggled out of _Ferelden_, or we shall never find what we seek," said the Grey Warden firmly, nodding toward his companions. "Prepare yourselves. I don't suppose this will be an easy task."


	2. Caved In

The trapdoor leading into the caverns beneath the grand city of _Amaranthine_ was bolted shut with a bulky metal padlock. Needing the experience of a skilled hand, Nathaniel concentrated as he picked its tumblers, successfully unlocking the bolt with a satisfied smirk.

"As you said," commented the archer as he tossed the bolt aside, grabbing for the heavy iron ring that was used to pull the door open. After a deep breath, Nathaniel began to pull up on the handle, grunting as it narrowly budged from its closed position.

The Commander stepped forward to help the man, grasping the handle beside Nathaniel and pulling with all his might. Together, they managed to flip open the thick wooden door.

As the two men caught their breath, Mhairi and Anders appeared at their sides to look into the tunnel below. The descent would be steep, and there was only an unstable, splintering ladder leading into its depths.

"You first," said Anders skeptically, bringing a frustrated scoff from the female Warden.

"I will enter to check the stability of the ladder. If it collapses, then you will know to find another way, Commander," said Mhairi, already lowering herself into the hole.

"Well, good luck with that," Anders said after a loud creak came from the ladder, halting her descent before she cautiously continued.

Though he didn't agree with Mhairi's plan, Elias knew that thwarting her attempts to protect her companions would be futile. In their time together, she had been completely self-sacrificing, willing to risk her life in the name of the Grey Wardens.

It would only take one rotted plank to collapse beneath Mhairi's weight and send her falling to her doom.

"Careful, Mhairi," murmured the elf in a soothing tone, hoping to calm her nerves, or his own.

One-by-one, Mhairi slowly sank into the darkness, and after a brief silence called up to her companions.

"I've met ground!" echoed her voice.

"You next," ordered Elias, giving Anders a shove towards the pit.

"Oh? When was this decided?" whined the uneasy mage, fighting to keep his balance on the ledge.

"Just now," answered the Commander, lifting his leg and nudging Anders's rump with his boot, sending the mage falling into the darkness with a yelp of surprise. Giving Nathaniel a thumbs-up, the serious archer fought to keep a smile from his face as Anders's squeals eventually ceased.

"I could have gone through life without experiencing that," echoed Anders's unimpressed voice. "How fortunate a pretty girl caught me. How about a kiss as a reward? _Ow_! A simple "no" would've sufficed…"

As Anders spoke, the Howe climbed onto the rickety ladder, beginning his own descent. "You know, you're really strong for being so _scrawny_," commented the man as he disappeared.

"_Gch_," hissed Elias irritably, his shoulders rising around his neck as he fought a wave of annoyance. How he hated being called _scrawny_.

It took only a minute more before the Commander himself reached the ground on the other side of the trapdoor, his greaves clanking as he jumped the last few planks of the ladder. When he did, he surveyed their new surroundings.

The caverns were barren of life, decorated only with broken crates and barrels. On the far side they could make out the shape of a door, which seemed completely out of place. Gesturing for his companions to follow, Elias made his way through the rubble towards the door, eyeing that the hinges were recently greased and that the door was maintained.

Standing just before it, Anders scratched his stubbly jaw in thought. "Well, we could knock." All three of his companions sent blank stares at the mage, whose eyebrow rose when he shrugged. "I didn't hear any of you coming up with anything!"

After a moment of thought, the Commander also shrugged and stepped towards the door, hitting the door twice with his black gauntlets.

There were muffled noises before a deep voice called out. "What's the password?"

"Err… sausage?" tried Elias.

"_Sausage_? Bloody, no! Go away!"

"Can't say we didn't try to be polite," said Anders, bringing more sighs.

"It's your call, Commander," Mhairi stated bluntly.

"Charge the door," ordered Elias, completely serious now. "Nathaniel, the lock. Anders, stand back. Mhairi, you and I."

"Right," both Nathaniel and Anders replied simultaneously as they took their places.

"Yes, Commander," answered Mhairi, drawing her Saw Sword from her sheath and readying her Warden's shield.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel had knelt before the door, clicking away at the lock. Anders charged his stave a short distance behind them, casting _Heroic Aura_ on Mhairi as she began to hyperventilate, no doubt fighting to stay in control of her body as she began to go _Berserk_.

The Commander activated his _Combat Magic_ as he pulled _Dumat's Spine_ from his back, placing his shield, _Partha_, before him. Transparent, a purple orb formed around Elias and his skin hardened to stone.

It was only a few silent seconds before Nathaniel gave them the go-ahead nod, moving away from the door to draw his bow.

"Here we go," Elias murmured to Mhairi, who breathed heavily through her nose, her eyes blazing in madness. "Now!"

Raising their guard, both Elias and Mhairi charged the door, breaking through the wood and metal with their shields as they raced into the room.

There were perhaps a dozen armed and startled looking men, surrounded by mountains of crates and barrels. In a makeshift port, the caverns led out to the sea where there were a few smuggling ships docked. On the far side of the cove were cages filled with emaciated elves, weeping and clutching each other in fear.

"Kill them!" a man, perhaps the leader, yelled over the noise. Instantly, they were swarmed by the smugglers.

Running at the men, Mhairi let out a deafening battle cry, bringing down her sword and cutting through armor and flesh in mere seconds.

Elias unleashed an Arcane Bolt, throwing back several of the smugglers. After closing the distance between them, he swept his sword through the air, decapitating two of the stunned men, sending their heads rolling across the cove's sand and into the sea.

The leader of the smugglers had begun to stab through the bars of the cages, striking the elven slaves, wounding them.

Witnessing this amongst the chaos, Nathaniel used his Scattershot technique, firing multiple arrows at once and crippling the leader as they struck his arm and thigh. Before he could finish him off, an enemy rogue appeared from nowhere, sinking his dagger into archer's back. Crying out, Nathaniel dropped his bow and drew his own blade, circling the rogue defensively.

From the safety of the cave, Anders instantly diverted his mana into healing magic, sealing up the archer's wounds as he cut down the enemy rogue swiftly.

The leader of the smugglers limped away from the battle, hurrying towards the safety of his ships now that Nathaniel had been distracted.

Mhairi and Elias brought down the bulk of the smugglers, leaving piles of dead men about themselves. Trying to regain their stamina, they gazed about as they sought out any remaining enemies.

The Commander's attention was instantly drawn to a bleeding elf inside of the cage. He ran towards her, dropping his sword and shield as he readied his healing mana.

"Hold on!" he cried to her as he slid to a stop on his knees just beside the cage.

Gasping, the elven woman whimpered as she bled heavily from a deep wound to her gut. Resting his palm flat against her belly, white aura began sinking into the flesh, sealing the organs and knitting the muscles and flesh back together.

"Tell me," started Elias, attempting to hide the urgency in his tone. "Are you Frieda?"

The woman seemed surprised, but could only nod in her present condition, still suffering a great deal.

"I need you to tell me the final clue," whispered the Commander. "Mhairi! Find the key and get the others out of here."

"Right away, Commander," answered the knight as she stowed her weapons and began patting down the dead smugglers. It wasn't long before she found a key and jogged over to the Commander who was still busy healing the elf inside of the cage.

Anders and Nathaniel made their way across the cove, punching each other in the shoulders as post-battle celebration.

The female Warden unlocked the cage, letting the unharmed elves go free as Elias continued to work on Frieda. She came in and out of consciousness, sick from her wound.

"Frieda? Can you hear me?" questioned the concerned Commander.

"We will have to question her later, once she's recovered a bit more," said Anders, a master of healing magic. "We'll take her back to camp. I have herbs that will help."

Elias nodded once, moving away from the elf so that Nathaniel could lift her over his shoulder and begin his trek back across the hidden cove. Anders followed closely, keeping an eye on his patient as they hurried off.

"How could I have left them unguarded? I could've protected her," whispered Elias from his knees, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"They will all live, thanks to you, Commander. We have done well," said Mhairi firmly, extending her hand out to him.

The elven man eyed her hand curiously before taking it, being helped to his feet.

"Shall we go now, Commander?" smiled Mhairi, surprising the mage by it.

"Elias! Mhairi!" cried Anders's panicked voice, and both the Commander and Warden's attention were drawn to the man on the far side of the cove. "The ship! A ballista! Run!"

Instinctually, the two listened to their companion, looking towards the docked ship as they took off into sprints. As he had said, the leader of the smugglers had aimed a ballista in their direction, firing the giant crossbow and shattering the rock walls of the cavern.

"We'll be caved in!" cried Mhairi.

Boulders and other debris began cascading down, blocking off Anders and Nathaniel from them, along with the only walking exit of the cove.

The leader fired another bolt, creating an avalanche of massive boulders. Elias, focused on dispatching the leader with a spell, did not see one such boulder heading directly towards him until it was too late.

"Elias!" screamed Mhairi, tackling the elven man and throwing him to the sand.

He rolled and tumbled several feet as small debris bounced off his armor until he finally settled in one spot, able to gain his bearings once more. As the boulders splashed and sank into the sea, all became still as the avalanche came to a stop.

Much to the Commander's horror, he could not see Mhairi among the debris.

"Mhairi!" cried the elf as he eyed a massive mound of rocks where they had just been.

Infuriated, the elf turned towards the ship in the distance, spotting the cackling leader upon the ballista. He began to move, already readying a new bolt when Elias pulled an Enchanted Dagger from his belt, chucking it with such precision and strength that it sunk into the man's neck. There was a satisfying gurgle before the smuggler collapsed dead.

"Eli! Mhairi!" came Nathaniel's concerned voice from the blocked off cavern.

"Are you two alright?" asked Anders.

"Answer us at once!"

"Mhairi's been buried!" replied Elias in a panicked tone, running over to the pile of boulders and beginning to dig through them. "Get help!"

"We have to return to _Amaranthine_ for more hands!" said Anders from the other side of the blockage.

"We will hurry!" replied Nathaniel.

The Commander removed his gauntlets for better efficiency, hurling rocks away from the mound as he looked for Mhairi beneath them. After lifting some of the heavier rocks he finally caught a glimpse of her flesh, uncovering her enough to see.

Her face and skin was covered in blood; cut and torn by the sharp rocks, and she lay silent and unmoving among the rubble. Her armor had cracked and distorted into an odd shape.

"Mhairi," Elias began, whispering to her as he stroked her cheek, healing the cuts.

The female Warden tossed her head about before opening her eyes. "Elias…"

"Anders and Nathaniel have gone for help. We're going to get you out of here. Now, tell me where it hurts," explained Elias to the weary knight.

"I… I can't feel my legs," whispered Mhairi, a tear coming to one of her eyes.

Elias had only removed the rocks from Mhairi's torso so that she wouldn't suffocate. Moving to dig out her lower half, the elf froze when he saw that her waist down had been completely crushed beneath the biggest boulder of the avalanche. Alone, he could not remove it.


	3. One Day, We Shall Join You

On the shores of the hidden cove beneath _Amaranthine_, the air smelled of salt and fish from the sea. A windy chill passed through the carved out cove, knocking over crates and rolling rocks out into the water. Mhairi struggled for breath as she lay helplessly trapped, her body convulsing every few seconds.

The elven Commander, stripped down to only his greaves and boots of his Sentinel armor, tried desperately to budge the boulder trapping the female Warden, pushing and pulling on the stone with all the strength he could muster.

Casting spell after spell, Elias now struck the boulder with _Dumat's Spine_, trying to shatter it to no avail. Panting, sweat glistened down his back as he grew exhausted, drained of mana though not of will.

"Commander! We have returned with men!" called Nathaniel's voice from beyond the stone blockage.

"Dig out the wall! Quickly! Mhairi is still trapped!" ordered the Commander in an urgent, almost fierce tone.

"You heard him!" yelled Anders.

"Move your lazy hides! A Warden's in peril," shouted Nathaniel's voice, muffled by the mountain of debris.

Elias could hear the grunting of the men as they lifted and tossed heavy stone, trying to reopen the route to the cove. Once they were through, they would be able to help the elf lift the boulder off the knight and free her crushed body. Beyond that, it would be up to him and Anders to heal her wounds and ensure her survival.

"Commander," coughed Mhairi, gasping heavily for oxygen. Blood had begun to gather at the corners of her mouth and a sheen of sweat covered her forehead.

The elven Battlemage immediately returned to her side, lowering to the one knee and digging the tip of his sword into the sand so that it stood beside him. He reached for the bindings of her armor, unfastening them and removing the twisted breastplate of her cuirass. Beneath, she wore a chemise of chainmail, rusted with bloodstains.

"If… I may be so bold, Commander," Mhairi swallowed, speaking slowly and in a husky tone as though her throat was dry. Seeking his approval, she waited for Elias to nod as he focused on freeing her from her distorted armor. "I once envisioned what kind of lover you were."

Surprised, Elias became still briefly to meet the knight's eyes. She seemed earnest in her delivery, not at all delirious with fever.

"Would you be offended if I said it was as your woman?" she finished, looking at him through narrow, weary eyes.

"Not at all," he answered, still surprised and somewhat amused by the irony. Mhairi was a Templar, after all. "Was it a good vision?"

"It was," confessed Mhairi, her voice still raw. "Were you not my… Commander, I would have pursued this vision. Wholeheartedly."

The Commander grinned at the knight, cupping her cheek affectionately as she continued to struggle for air. "And who would I have been to deny you?"

This brought a smile to Mhairi's pain-filled face, her eyebrows furrowing as she fought a groan of pain. A coughing fit hit Mhairi, spewing blood upon her chin and neck. Frustrating Elias, he gazed over his shoulder at the rock wall, still hearing the grunts of working men.

"Make haste!" shouted the Commander, bringing an orchestra of responding men.

"Everything… grows quiet," whispered Mhairi, her chest heaving as she took breaths. "Are you still there, Commander?"

Worried, Elias embraced Mhairi's hand in his own, bringing it to his chest. "I'm here, Mhairi. You'll be out soon, just wait a moment yet."

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, glistening. "It hurts. I've never cried from pain before."

The elven Commander brushed a lock of sweaty hair off her forehead, thinking as he did. "During my travels as a Warden, I met a woman, an _Orlesian_ bard," Elias started, when Mhairi interrupted him.

"You loved her," she said, completely sure of her statement.

"I did, but it was a love that did not last. She taught me a song of my people, the Dales," explained Elias, stopping briefly to help Mhairi through another coughing fit. She made throaty noises as she starved for air, clutching Elias's hand in desperation as she fought a wave of agonizing pain. Behind the Commander, the men began to break through the wall, able to see through to the cove now as they raced to create a path large enough for them to squeeze through.

"_Hahren na melana sahlin_…"

Mhairi began to convulse, her chest heaving as tears fell freely from her eyes. Elias gripped the knight's hand as she shook, continuing to hold it against his chest as he sung his soft ballad to her.

"_emma ir abelas_

_souver'inan isala hamin_…"

"We're through!" cried a guard as several men began to push through the rocks. Led by Anders and Nathaniel, they raced across the cove to reach Mhairi and the Commander, their boots kicking up sand.

The knight's grip began to wane as her struggle intensified.

"_vhenan him dor'felas_

_In uthenera na revas_."

The blonde mage finished the verse softly, feeling the tightness of Mhairi's grip completely cease during the last lines. No longer gasping for air, Mhairi lay inhumanly still before him, her face void of all life.

Bringing her hand to his cheek, he held it against his face affectionately. "Forgive us, and know that one day, we shall join you," he whispered, situating the hand upon her chest.

"She's here, men! On the count of three!" ordered Nathaniel, blending into the group of men as they prepared to heave the rock off of the female Warden.

As they worked together to raise it, Elias stood without a word and turned away from the knight. He began to trek back across the cove, away from Mhairi and the men.

"Commander! Where are you going?" came Anders's voice from behind him, still unaware of the knight's fate.

"Frieda. Is she still in the caverns?" asked Elias over his shoulder, his face completely firm with intent.

"Yes, we were unable to take her elsewhere in our haste," explained Anders as he knelt beside Mhairi, reaching for her pulse. It took only a moment to realize there was none.

"Heave!" grunted Nathaniel as he and a dozen guards freed Mhairi from beneath the boulder, sighing heavily as they dropped it back into the sand just a few feet away.

Meanwhile, the Commander climbed over the rocks once blocking the cavern exit, moving only a few yards into the cave before he spotted Frieda, propped up against the wall. She was conscious, though barely, and her eyes widened as she watched his alarming approach. No longer the concerned elf she had seen before, the Commander held a violent expression, his eyes deadly and emotionless.

Squatting before her, he met her gaze. "What is the final clue?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," exclaimed Frieda, gulping.

Without warning, Elias wrung his hand around the elven woman's neck, slowly raising her to a standing position. Frieda began to choke when her feet left the ground.

"A good woman died on that cove. She will not die in vain," hissed Elias, a shroud of black mist enveloping his body as his mana circulated him. "Kindly tell me the clue," he continued as an icicle formed in his hand, raising the sharpened end to her throat, "or die."

Frieda's eyes widened in fear as the Commander's icicle's tip aimed upwards from beneath her chin. The elf himself seemed both calm and crazed, which frightened her even more.

"_With cold, dead eyes, the dragon gazes on your prize_," whispered the elven woman, shocked when the Commander prepared to kill her with a flex of his bicep.

"_Eli_!" cried Nathaniel's voice, breaking Elias's attention as he heard his friend.

He stood with Anders on the rocks, both stunned at the scene before them. Their Commander, normally docile, appeared a killer as he clutched the woman by the neck, his unnatural weapon at her throat.

"You have what you want, let her be!" yelled Anders, obviously angered by her treatment.

"Killing that woman won't bring Mhairi back," said Nathaniel in his dark wisdom, managing to talk some sense back into the Commander.

The elf gradually released the woman, letting her to collapse onto the cavern's dusty ground. Glancing at his companions, he looked beyond them at the guards of Amaranthine, who watched with interest.

"Mhairi was a Grey Warden," Elias announced in his authoritative voice. "Honor her."


End file.
